Friends-with-benefits
by beyoncypadthai
Summary: C.J. has drinks with old friends and they disagree about the possibility of being friends-with-benefits.


A.N. This is a small one-shot I couldn't get out of my mind and my first West Wing fic. Hope you like it!

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C.J. remembered talking about friends-with-benefits at one time at a girls night out. It was one of those rare moments where her girlfriends from Berkley were all in the same city and all available on the same night. Her group of friends consisted of highly intelligent and accomplished women. Christine was a top environmental lawyer; Linda was a poet and author, and Marjorie was a CFO with an international tech company. The Bartlet campaign was finally gaining some momentum and for the first time, people seemed to think they truly had a chance to win at the primaries. They had enjoyed a late dinner, C.J., of course, had to work late, so her friends had met her at the campaign office. The three of them had an intimidating aura around them, like power women with shoulder pads and big chunky cell phones in a rom-com from the eighties. Toby had avoided them, Sam had been polite but Josh had relished the opportunity to try to win over these women. Naturally, it ended badly for him. Although Linda was the artist of the group she was the most political and had a very sharp tongue. It was in fact what made her a great artist. She had Josh stuttering in a matter of minutes, only to have Christine and Marjorie take over and bombard him with questions about everything from policy to why he chose to present himself like a chauvinistic man-child. Just as C.J. returned to her friends ready to leave Josh walked away from them looking stunned.

"What did you do to him?" She asked.

"We just had a little talk," Marjorie said with an innocent smile that fooled no one.

"Come on, let's go," C.J. chuckled.

They left for the restaurant and quickly ordered drinks. It was going to be a good night C.J. thought. She had been working so hard these past months and in such a male dominating environment. It didn't bother her too much but when she was reunited with this group of extraordinary women she couldn't help wonder why there were so few women in similar positions as her in this campaign. Most of the women working there were assistants or secretaries. After they had eaten they ordered more drinks. They were loud and laughed a lot - C.J. loved it.

"I don't think you can truly be friends with benefits," Christine said, "I think someone will always want more from the other."

"I disagree," said Marjorie, "I think it's tricky but doable" They all laughed at the double entendre.

"Have you ever experienced it, Marj?" Christine asked, "and I don't mean sleeping sometimes with your ex-husband" she added pointing her drink in her face. Marjorie opened her mouth to say something but stopped. "Well, maybe not then," Marjorie replied and the others laughed.

"Now wait a minute," C.J. said, "I actually think it is possible."

Linda looked at her with disbelief etched on her face.

"Don't give me that look," C.J. laughed, "what about, what's his name… Aaron!" She said triumphantly.

"You've got to be kidding me?" Christine asked.

"What?" C.J. looked at her

"Are you serious?" Marjorie asked.

"Yes! He was a friend I sometimes slept with, nothing more - ergo friends with benefits," C.J. said

"C.J." Christine looked at her intently, the others started grinning, "Aaron was in love with you!" She said simply

"What?" C.J. looked at her friends who started laughing at her reaction, "no he wasn't"

"Oh yes he was," Linda replied

"Are you telling me you didn't know?" Marjorie asked

C.J. was completely stumped. Aaron had been their friend at Berkley. He was also a poli-sci student and he and C.J. shared many classes. He had been a part of a large group of friends from the school. Before C.J. and Ben started dating they sometimes slept together but C.J. had never imagined there had been anything more between them. Even after she and Ben broke up they slept together a few times more.

"This is so typical Claudia Jean," Christine said - barely fighting the urge to roll her eyes, "you never realise how men act around you"

"Oh come on," C.J. said exasperatedly.

"You always seem to be completely unaware of when people fall for you," Christine said, "and who wouldn't fall for you C.J? You're smart, funny, beautiful and extremely charming," she said with a smile.

C.J. took her hand a gave it a small squeeze. They locked eyes and C.J. smiled at her friend.

"I bet you have one or two admirers in that campaign office," Marjorie quipped. C.J. slowly let go of Christine's hand.

"This is a ridiculous conversation," C.J. said lamely

"Oh no, we are gonna dissect this issue," Linda said with a wink at her.

"What about the boy scout we met before?" Marjorie asked

"No, I don't think so," said Christine - grinning at C.J.," he's too clean cut"

"Oh brother," C.J. said as she finished her drink and ordered another one.

"What about the penetrating stare, the one with the beard?" Linda contemplated.

"Maybe," Marjorie thought, "although if you ask me, he would probably never settle for being just friends with our Claudia Jean," she added with a grin.

"He's married!" C.J. said a little too loudly.

"What about tongue-tied?" Christine asked - looking intently at C.J.

At that Marjorie and Linda erupted with laughter.

C.J. gradually managed to change the conversation. They said their goodbye very late, after many rounds of cocktails, some dancing and lots of laughs. C.J. sat in the taxi, drunkenly trying to send a text.

"We're here," the taxi driver said. She paid and left the car. She was definitively more than a little tipsy but the dancing and food they had eaten had sobered her up a bit. She rung the doorbell and finished her text. The door opened and she smiled at the man that greeted her.

"Well hi there," he said as he let her pass.

As she walked past him she pushed him towards the door and gave him a long kiss.

He grabbed her by the waist and returned the kiss eagerly. They walked into the apartment not really letting go of each other. C.J. began undressing seductively. He removed his clothes awkwardly in his haste and she giggled as he tried to kick off his pants. When he was finally free from his clothes he walked towards her and kissed her roughly. They fell on to the bed and he kissed her greedily. She stroked his upper arm, squeezing the muscle. She loved how strong he felt and how delicate she felt when she was in bed with him. He kissed her neck and lifted up her leg. Slowly he entered her and at first, he was still inside her - just enjoying the feeling. But soon she grew impatient and began moving, trying to take control. He chuckled and thrust into her hard. She gasped and held tightly. He pounded her hard and she moaned loudly.

"God I love the way you sound in bed," he growled in her ear. He put his hand between them and massaged her clit as he continued to thrust into her. Very soon she felt her orgasm building. Her breath quickened and he kissed and sucked her neck until she pushed her head further into the pillow as her orgasm washed over her. He silenced her moans with a deep kiss as he finally let himself come with her. She twitched in the aftermath of her finish and he continued to kiss her. Finally, he turned and they lay side by side gleaming with post-coital sweat.

"That was… great," he said with a silly smile, "you should go out with your friends more often," he winked at her.

She chuckled en turned to her side.

"Hey, I have a question," she said looking at his heaving chest.

"We're friends right?" she asked.

He turned to face her with a bewildered look on his face.

"Uh, yeah, we're friends," he said uncertainly.

"Well, I mean we sometimes sleep together but we're friends," she said.

"Yeah, I guess so," he replied

"So would you say we're friends with benefits?" She asked.

"C.J. why are you?" he began

"Oh it's just, you know," she said - changing her mind mid-sentence, "never mind, it's not important" she smiled at him.

"Can we just go to sleep?" she smiled at him.

"Of course," he smiled back and pulled the cover over them and put his arm around her waist. She sighed and closed her eyes.

C.J. woke the next morning to a shrill sound somewhere close to her head. She slowly opened her eyes and realised her phone was ringing. A loud growl next to her made her chuckle.

"Hello?" she said groggily

"Well hello sunshine," said Christine cheerily to which C.J. groaned into the phone.

"Are we feeling a bit groggy this morning, Claudia Jean?" she said, thoroughly enjoying this one-sided exchange.

"What do you want," C.J. said huskily.

"Your texts last night were so very illuminating I just had to call you," Christine said.

"My what?" C.J. couldn't really focus.

"When I woke up this morning I was greeted with a series of texts from you where you told me that you did indeed think friends with benefits was a real possibility, and you knew this was a possibility because you were - in fact- engaging in such a friendly relationship with a co-worker." Christine paused, "You also told me that just because we couldn't be friends with benefits than that didn't mean no one could," she ended.

At that C.J. eyes flew open as she remembered the taxi-ride last night. She had indeed texted all those things.

"Oh, Christine I'm sorry," C.J. began

"Don't you worry about my feelings Claudia Jean," Christine said kindly, "I really am over you," she said seriously.

"I would much rather know about this 'so-called' friend with whom you share certain benefits," she added with glee.

C.J. looked around to the man next to her.

"I'll call you later," she said quietly.

At that, Christine laughed, "oh dear, you're still with him."

"Yes," C.J. answered annoyed, "and that doesn't prove anything. I'm hanging up now."

"If he makes you breakfast then you know he's smitten," Christine said and C.J. could simply hear the grin on her face

"Goodbye," she said and hung up the phone.

"Whowasit?" said the voice next to her, face buried in the pillow.

"Christine," C.J. said as she laid back next to him.

"Oh," he didn't seem particularly fond of her, "come'ere," he said as he pulled up the cover. She smiled and lay next to him.

"What did she want?" he asked as he stroked her back.

"Just girl talk," C.J. smiled

"But what were you sorry for?" he asked again, his curiosity obviously peaked.

"Nosy much?" She said trying to get him to drop it.

"Hey, why were you asking about friends with benefits last night?" he asked.

"Oh doesn't matter. Something we were disagreeing about last night," she said.

"You don't think people can be friends with benefits?" he asked.

Suddenly she felt uncomfortable. She really didn't want to have this conversation with him.

"Actually Christine doesn't think it can ever work," C.J. said.

"Has she actually tried it?" he asked as she kissed her shoulder.

"Well, I know she tried at least once but that didn't end well," she said thoughtfully, "but that wasn't a typical friends-with-benefits relationship, it was more complicated," she added.

"How so?" He asked as he continued to kiss her, moving to her chest.

"Well, we were really close friends before so…"

"Wait, you were?" he interrupted. C.J. looked at him and realised what she had said.

"I mean they," she interjected lamely.

"No, no, no, no. You said we," he was very excited now, "C.J. are you telling me?" He looked at her with awe.

"Telling you what?" She answered defiantly.

"Claudia Jean, are you bisexual?" he asked with a huge grin

She sighed, biting her lower lip, "I'm not, I don't know. I'm not bi… completely," she said awkwardly.

"What does that mean?" he asked

"It means, I don't know," she really didn't want to have this conversation. She wasn't ashamed of her past, she just usually didn't talk about it.

"It means I have had sex with women but I haven't been in a relationship with a woman," she said and observed him.

"And you've slept with her," he asked, looking thoughtful.

"Yes," she answered.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

"Just imagining," he answered with a grin.

"Well stop it," she said slapping his chest.

"Too late," he said as he laid on top of her kissing her, "just when I thought you couldn't get any hotter," he said as he began kissing her neck.

"It's such a cliché," she protested, "I swear to God, if you even hint at a threesome joke I will leave," she ended.

"C.J. that's not what's hot about it," he said looking at her, "well that would be hot," he added with a grin, "but it's incredibly hot imagining you with another woman because of course women are attracted to you. How could they not be? You're gorgeous," he kissed her right breast, "and you're sexy," he kissed her left breast.

"Nice save," she said with a grin.

"I also feel proud to have you in my bed," he added and kissed her neck again.

She moaned at the touch and pulled him towards her.

He kissed her deeply and lifted her up so they sat facing each other. He entered her and she locked her legs around him. They kissed as they moved and their collective moans echoed around the room. Suddenly he pulled out of her and pushed her on her back. He quickly moved down between her legs and began sucking and licking her clit. This sudden change sent her into a tailspin. She writhed underneath him and gasped when he entered two fingers inside her. He licked her eagerly and when her orgasm washed over her he quickly moved up again and entered her. He fucked her hard, riding her orgasm. She was seeing stars as her second orgasm came. He moaned loudly as he came, spilling his seed inside of her. They both breathed heavily.

"We're getting really good at that," he said.

"Oh yes we are," she kissed him and fell next to him.

"Do you want to go get breakfast?" He said after a short while of silence.

"You want to go get breakfast?" She repeated.

"Yeah, then we can go to the office afterwards," he smiled, "there's a great little place close by."

"Uhm, sure," she smiled back.

"Great, I'm going to grab a shower," he gave her a quick kiss and got up.

C.J. sat up and picked up her phone and dialled Christine's number.

"Is he cooking you breakfast?" was her greeting.

"No, although we are getting breakfast together," C.J. contemplated.

"You really suck at this friends with benefits thing, you know that," Christine said jokingly.

"It's not like that.." C.J. tried.

"Oh please, " Christine interjected.

"It's just, we're.. friends, and yes we sometimes sleep together," she sighed, "it's nothing more."

"Is that why you called me?" Christine asked, "to tell me you're friends?"

C.J. stopped to think for a moment.

"C.J?" Christine asked when she didn't say anything.

"I, uhm.." she began, "I just don't want things to be complicated. I really like this job and I don't want to blow it because I slept with someone. You know me, I take my work incredibly seriously."

"I know you do C.J. Do you really think that if you call things off with this guy you're going to lose your job?" Christine asked, suddenly serious.

"No, no, I mean," she paused, "I know he wouldn't make a deal out of it but.."

"But what? C.J. do you like this guy?" Christine asked.

"I don't know Christine. Oh Goddammit. This was supposed to be simple and fun," she sighed, "I blame you," she said with a mock accusatory tone. "Getting into my head."

"I will only say this once, but I told you so," Christine laughed, "but all jokes aside, why do you have to decide what it is you two are doing. I mean, neither of you have asked for more?"

"No, it's just been.. nice," C.J. smiled.

"Ugh, you sound happy," Christine said and C.J. laughed. "Call me soon C.J. Let's not let stay out of touch so long again."

"I will call you relentlessly," C.J. joked, "give Helen my love."

"I will love ya long time!" Christine said sweetly.

"Love ya stranger" C.J. smiled and hung up the phone. She turned around and saw Josh standing in the doorway, hair wait with a towel wrapped around his waist. She got up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm gonna hop in the shower," she said as she walked into the steaming bathroom.

She and Josh had first slept together after about a two months after she joined the campaign. The staff had gone out drinking after a particularly rough few days. The all drunk too much and somehow the two of them shared a taxi home. Except when C.J. bent over him to open the taxi door he thought she was going to kiss him and he kissed her. They stumbled out of the taxi, to her front door and made-out like teenagers. Finally, they got in the apartment and had very drunken sex. The morning after they woke too late and had to run out. Luckily everyone was so hung over that no one noticed that they arrived together or that Josh was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. After that, they had slept together every now and then. Actually, they had slept together quite frequently in the last few weeks. C.J. tried to wash these thoughts away but couldn't stop herself from grinning when she saw that he had bought her favourite shampoo and conditioner. She finished washing her hair and stepped out of the shower.

Once she was dressed she walked into the living room. Josh stood waiting for her, coat on and holding her's ready for her.

She smiled as he helped her put on the coat. They walked out of the apartment and strolled towards the small café. She decided that she wasn't going to make a big deal out of this. Perhaps they were the perfect friends-with-benefits. Only time would tell.


End file.
